Budget negotiations: The backstage maneuvering on the state budget is intensifying, and some Tallahassee insiders think a deal can be struck that keeps House Speaker Richard Corcoran's education budget largely intact if more money can be found for Gov. Rick Scott's economic development agency Enterprise Florida. Steve Bousquet, Tampa Bay Times. Sunshine State News.
National Spelling Bee: Ananya Vinay, a 12-year-old girl from Fresno, Calif., wins the 2017 Scripps National Spelling Bee in the 36th round. Sreeniketh Vogoti, an eighth-grader from St. Johns County, had the best performance for a Floridian. He was one of 15 finalists, but was eliminated in the eighth round. Associated Press. Washington Post. National Spelling Bee. Florida Times-Union. Orlando Sentinel. Associated Press. Palm Beach Post. Naples Daily News.
Extra testing: Many Florida high schools try to convince students to take two end-of-course exams for the same subject as a way to bolster the schools' grades from the state. Palm Beach Post.
School honor code: Sunlake High School is planning to institute an honor code this fall for students in its Advanced Placement courses. A recent instance of test-sharing prompted the move, which will have students signing a pledge to neither give nor receive unauthorized help on tests, or to tolerate others' use of such unapproved help. Gradebook. (more…)
Trump and choice: President Donald Trump called education "the civil rights issue of our time" during his speech to Congress Tuesday. He urged legislators to "pass an education bill that funds school choice for disadvantaged youth, including millions of African-American and Latino children. These families should be free to choose the public, private, charter, magnet, religious, or home school that is right for them." Education Week. Los Angeles Times. Florida's Denisha Merriweather is cited during Trump's speech as someone whose life was turned around because of school choice. redefinED. The 74. President Trump will visit Saint Andrew Catholic School in Orlando Friday, where he is expected to talk about school choice. Saint Andrew has 295 students who use the tax credit scholarship. Step Up For Students, which hosts this blog, helps administer the scholarship. Orlando Sentinel.
Testing debate: Standardized testing will again be a focus of the legislative session that begins Tuesday. Critics want to cut back on the exams, or give students the option of taking different tests. Others think the testing system in place is necessary and needs to be preserved in some form. News Service of Florida.
Voucher study: A new study finds little evidence that school voucher programs significantly improve student achievement or school district performance. The study, written by Martin Carnoy, a Stanford University professor and research associate at the Washington-based Economic Policy Institute, included evaluations of Florida programs. He wrote that the lack of evidence “suggests that an ideological preference for education markets over equity and public accountability is what is driving the push to expand voucher programs.” Washington Post.
Teachers honored: Evangeline Aguirre, who teaches in the English for Speakers of Other Languages program at Palm Beach Central High in Wellington, is named the Palm Beach County School District's teacher of the year. Palm Beach Post. Sun-Sentinel. Maria Torres-Crosby, a sixth-grade English teacher at Memorial Middle School. is named the Hillsborough County School District's teacher of the year. Tampa Bay Times. (more…)
